The Art Nouveau in Catalonia & Modernisme had a fantastic expansion in a country opened to all currents from Europe in order to affirm his differences with Spain and reinforce his political nationalism, in a period of rebirth known as "Renaixença" after a long period of decline caused by its military defeat in 1714 and consequent loss of his national rights and institutions.
The ideas of Ruskin and Viollet-le-Duc and the aesthetic of William Morris, Walter Crane, Mackmurdo, Mackintosh, etc. had been accepted as the base of artistic renewal.
Architects as Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch and others took the leadership of that movement.
Specially the role of Domènech i Montaner (1849-1923) was essential to define the "Modernisme arquitectonic" (architectonic Art Nouveau) in Catalonia.
His article "En busca d'una arquitectura nacional" (In search of a national architecture), published in the magazine "La Renaixença", shows the way to attempt a modern architecture reflecting the national Catalan personality.
The Art Nouveau artists (the Modernists) thought of creative imagination as a creator of symbols in contrast with the eclecticism that presents the art as objective description of reality. In fact, Art Nouveau represents all over the world and specially in Catalonia the freedom to create new shapes not previously accepted.
The Catalan Art Nouveau & Modenism does not only reflect in its architecture the ornamentation richness who is common in all the Art Nouveau, but also manifest an interest to maintain and renew the traditional building and decoration techniques, using old materials such as brick and new materials (at that time) as iron and new ceramic techniques.
These new tendencies were evident in all the different artistic areas such as architecture (including all types of buildings), sculpture (both as an independent art, or as a complement of buildings), painting, decorative arts (in materials as ceramics, glasses, wood, textiles, iron, and comprising any object as furniture, lamps, jewels, clothes, bottles, pitchers, crockery's, carpets, etc.), literature and music.
The Art Nouveau had a tremendous social acceptation in Catalonia as part of "Renaixença" and its artists became very popular. That is a fact with the mentioned architects, but also with painters as Ramon Casas, Isidre Nonell or Santiago Rusiñol (organizer of "Festes
Modernistes" -Art Nouveau festivals- held in Sitges at the end of XIX century).
Some of these artists - the bohemian side of Art Nouveau - had regular meetings from 1897 in the literary café "Els quatre gats" installed in a building of Puig i Cadafalch in the old Barcelona, an Art Nouveau café with a huge prestige in artistic circles.
These meetings were also frequented by other artists as Picasso -his paintings of blue and rose period are considered Art Nouveau-, Miquel Utrillo, Mir, Pichot, and others.
The magazine "Pèl i ploma" published by Ramon Casas was the voice of the movement in Barcelona.
That collective attitude of artistic renewal and progress was the driver of one of most brilliant periods of Catalan art.
The ideas of Ruskin and Viollet-le-Duc and the aesthetic of William Morris, Walter Crane, Mackmurdo, Mackintosh, etc. had been accepted as the base of artistic renewal.
Architects as Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch and others took the leadership of that movement.
Specially the role of Domènech i Montaner (1849-1923) was essential to define the "Modernisme arquitectonic" (architectonic Art Nouveau) in Catalonia.
His article "En busca d'una arquitectura nacional" (In search of a national architecture), published in the magazine "La Renaixença", shows the way to attempt a modern architecture reflecting the national Catalan personality.
The Art Nouveau artists (the Modernists) thought of creative imagination as a creator of symbols in contrast with the eclecticism that presents the art as objective description of reality. In fact, Art Nouveau represents all over the world and specially in Catalonia the freedom to create new shapes not previously accepted.
The Catalan Art Nouveau & Modenism does not only reflect in its architecture the ornamentation richness who is common in all the Art Nouveau, but also manifest an interest to maintain and renew the traditional building and decoration techniques, using old materials such as brick and new materials (at that time) as iron and new ceramic techniques.
These new tendencies were evident in all the different artistic areas such as architecture (including all types of buildings), sculpture (both as an independent art, or as a complement of buildings), painting, decorative arts (in materials as ceramics, glasses, wood, textiles, iron, and comprising any object as furniture, lamps, jewels, clothes, bottles, pitchers, crockery's, carpets, etc.), literature and music.
The Art Nouveau had a tremendous social acceptation in Catalonia as part of "Renaixença" and its artists became very popular. That is a fact with the mentioned architects, but also with painters as Ramon Casas, Isidre Nonell or Santiago Rusiñol (organizer of "Festes
Modernistes" -Art Nouveau festivals- held in Sitges at the end of XIX century).
Some of these artists - the bohemian side of Art Nouveau - had regular meetings from 1897 in the literary café "Els quatre gats" installed in a building of Puig i Cadafalch in the old Barcelona, an Art Nouveau café with a huge prestige in artistic circles.
These meetings were also frequented by other artists as Picasso -his paintings of blue and rose period are considered Art Nouveau-, Miquel Utrillo, Mir, Pichot, and others.
The magazine "Pèl i ploma" published by Ramon Casas was the voice of the movement in Barcelona.
That collective attitude of artistic renewal and progress was the driver of one of most brilliant periods of Catalan art.
